National Council warned RTVI about shutting it down for supporting annexation of Crimea and broadcasting banned films

09.08.2017, 15:38

National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine informed the legal owner of the foreign company RTVI – company “Brenrose Livited”, Mr. B. Baums – about the registered violations of European Convention on Transfrontier Television and the Law of Ukraine and warned about possible cancellation of the programs of the broadcaster. This information was published at the website of the National council.

On July 3 to July 9, 2017, the specialists of the regulatory body conducted monitoring of programs aired by the foreign program RTVI, which has its jurisdiction in the Great Britain.

“For example, on July 5 and 6, the program “Osoboe mneniye” (“Special Opinion”), attended by the head of Carnegie center A.Kolesnikov and chief editor of magazine “Forbes” M. Uskov, who spoke in support of annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, demean the current government of Ukraine and Ukraine as a state”, the National Council reports.

Also, the regulating agency notes that on July 4 (repeated on the 5th) there was broadcasting of film “Heavenly court” (produced by “Central Partnership”, Russia, 2012), banned by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, and on July 9 film “Two days” (produced by “Central Partnership”, Russia, 2011), starring actors listed in the List of people threatening national security of Ukraine – Mikhail Porechenkov and Fedor Bondarchuk. Such people were also starring in film “Barman” (produced by Art Pictures Studio, Russia, 2015) broadcasted on July 16 and 17;

On July 26 in the program “Here and there” during the discussion of Donbas conflict, the unlawfully elected from Crimea Olga Kovitidi and Russian MP from the city of Sevastopol Dmitriy Belik were denying territorial integrity of Ukraine in their speeches.

Such content, the regulator notes, constitutes violations of Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine “On television and radio broadcasting” and part one of Article 28 of the Law of Ukraine “On Information”.

The company is notified that, as the obvious violations that can provoke social problems last more than two weeks after they were noted and reported, the broadcasting of RTVI programs can be temporarily ceased on the territory of Ukraine.

The national Council also mentioned previous violations of similar nature by RTVI on February of 2017.